2014 DBR Mock Draft

[Henderson]

We are happy with Gallinari/Fournier (provided Gal can get healthy), and also the "team engineering" that Saric's agent is trying to manipulate gave us pause.

I like the Nurkic pick. Nurkic is a beast. Reminds me of Bill Laimbeer or Rick Mahorn. I don't care if he doesn't play above the rim, because no one is getting to the rim if he has any say in the matter. Dude occupies real estate. And he has skills. Hardly seems fair.

[brevity]

With the 12th pick in the 2014 DBR Mock Draft, the Orlando Magic stay international and select Dario Saric, SF/PF from Croatia. We would have considered a center like Nurkic if he were still available, but are happy to land one of the toolsier prospects in this draft to pair with our versatile young backcourt.

Interesting choice of words, but you must acknowledge that the biggest tool in this draft is PJ Hairston.

[awhom111]

With the 12th pick in the 2014 DBR Mock Draft, the Orlando Magic stay international and select Dario Saric, SF/PF from Croatia. We would have considered a center like Nurkic if he were still available, but are happy to land one of the toolsier prospects in this draft to pair with our versatile young backcourt.

I have seen this pick for them in a few other places. What interests me in real life would be whether the Magic would shy away from a pick like this since the last time they picked an international player in this range that was not coming over right away, they ended up with Fran Vazquez, who is certainly not any closer to showing up one decade later.

[roywhite]

Only 2 picks made in the last 1 day+

Come on, guys.

[Duke3517]

No one better take my guy

[Kedsy]

No one better take my guy

There are 15 picks until your turn? Good luck with that.

[FerryFor50]

Twolves pick Rodney Hood.

Will type more up later but don't want to hold the draft up longer...

[Li_Duke]

Going into last season, expectations were that the Phoenix Suns would be one of the NBA's worst team after jettisoning veterans Luis Scola to Indiana and Marcin Gortat to Washington and trading Jared Dudley for the young and unproven Eric Bledsoe. Instead, they became the feel-good story for much of the first half of the regular season. Bledsoe proved to be a defensive demon and paired well with starting point guard Goran Dragic. The returns from the Indiana trade, Miles Plumlee and Gerald Green, were revelations - the former proved to be a solid NBA big man, the latter a valuable 3 and D wing.

While, Phoenix's surprising bid for a playoff spot in the ultra-competitive Western Conference fell short after injuries to key players, their future is bright with a team built with young likeable players at every position and an exciting, selfless style of play. The front-court is anchored by Plumlee, promising young big Alex Len, and 3 stretch forwards: Channing Fyre and the Morris twins. The backcourt has Dragic, Bledsoe (a restricted free agent), and promising young combo guard Archie Goodwin. Green will likely inherit the starting small forward spot from departing free agent PJ Tucker. Shavlick Randolph and Ish Smith provide big man and point guard depth respectively. With 3 non-lottery first round picks and 1 2nd round pick, the Suns will aim to add some additional young pieces to their roster.

Gary Harris reminds us of Bradley Beal or a young Eric Gordon - an aggressive SG with a well-rounded game offensively, can play PG in a pinch, and can defend. We feel lucky to get this kind of player with the 14th pick (Beal went 3rd and Gordon 7th in previous drafts). He'll be our first guard off the bench and will look good playing beside either of Dragic or Bledsoe. Despite 2 years under Izzo at Michigan State, he's still only 19 years old so he has lots of room for improvement (imagine just how much 21 year old Rodney Hood improved in 2 years).

[FerryFor50]

Twolves pick Rodney Hood.

Will type more up later but don't want to hold the draft up longer...

As promised, analysis...

Minnesota Timberwolves pick Rodney Hood, G/F from Duke

Last season, the T-Wolves had no issues scoring, but with Kevin Martin turning 32 and Corey Brewer an offensive liability (outside of his career high 51 points on April 12) and uncertainty about the future of Kevin Love, the Wolves need to win now and will roll the dice on 6'9" Rodney Hood. Hood is a far better shooter than Brewer, can create his own shot, and he plays above average defense at multiple positions.

With the pace the Wolves play and Rickey Rubio setting him up, Hood is primed to have a solid rookie campaign with the Wolves.

[brevity]

There will be more of a grace period over the weekend, but if you kill the draft for an entire day, I'm going to make your pick for you.

15. Atlanta Hawks - JasonEvans

So... who watches the commissioner?

I know the Hawks GM has another 21 hours, but I'm sorely tempted to commandeer this pick right now to draft Roy Devyn Marble. 25 years later, it's just too perfect.

NOTE: this is not a real pick. (Which is pretty much what I said about the Hawks drafting his father in 1989.) Jason Evans is still on the clock.

[JasonEvans]

I have to tell you, I was sorely tempted to take Nick Stauskus, who I think is the best player on the board at this point. But, I see him as little more than a carbon copy of Kyle Korver, one of the best 3 pt shooters in the NBA, and I already have Korver. So, I am going with Kyle Anderson, PG UCLA.

I can't even tell you how much I love Anderson. He's got PG skills in a SF body. No, he does not have elite athleticism -- heck, he barely has ordinary athleticism -- but when I watch him play I really am reminded at times of Magic Johnson. He sees the floor beautifully and uses his length to his advantage as a PG. He can play PG or a point-forward kind of position, which could be very useful to the Hawks, who will probably want to team him with Jeff Teague plenty of time. This is a very deep draft, so it is not like Anderson is a steal at this point, but in most years drafts I think Anderson is more like a mid-lottery pick, so getting him at #15 suits me just fine.

-Jason "I'll update the draft list in the next post, so folks know who is still available" Evans

[JasonEvans]

Here is the most up-to-date list of who has been taken --

First Round

1. Cleveland Cavaliers – BlueDevilBrowns - Andrew Wiggins, Kansas
2. Milwaukee Bucks - Turk - Joel Embiid, Kansas
3. Philadelphia 76ers - pfrduke - Jabari Parker, Duke
4. Orlando Magic - Duvall - Dante Exum, Australia
5. Utah Jazz - tommy - Noah Vonleh, Indiana
6. Boston Celtics - Henderson - Aaron Gordon, Arizona
7. Los Angeles Lakers - TheSchwartz - Marcus Smart, Okie State
8. Sacramento Kings – Ichabod Drain - Doug McDermott, Creighton
9. Charlotte Hornets - mattman91 - Julius Randle, Kentucky
10. Philadelphia 76ers - pfrduke - Zach Levine, UCLA
11. Denver Nuggets - The Alaskan Bear - Jusef Nurkic, Boz & H
12. Orlando Magic - Duvall - Dario Saric, Croatia
13. Minnesota Timberwolves – FerryFor50 - Rodney Hood, Duke
14. Phoenix Suns - LI Duke - Gary Harris, Mich State
15. Atlanta Hawks - JasonEvans - Kyle Anderson, UCLA
16. Chicago Bulls - CDu
17. Boston Celtics - Henderson
18. Phoenix Suns - LI Duke
19. Chicago Bulls - CDu
20. Toronto Raptors - NovaScotian
21. Oklahoma City Thunder - FlyingDutchDevil
22. Memphis Grizzlies - Roywhite
23. Utah Jazz - tommy
24. Charlotte Hornets - mattman91
25. Houston Rockets - nsdukefan
26. Miami Heat - Duke3517
27. Phoenix Suns - LI Duke
28. Los Angeles Clippers- Newton_14
29. Oklahoma City Thunder - FlyingDutchDevil
30. San Antonio Spurs - Brevity

Second Round:

31. Milwaukee Bucks - Turk
32. Philadelphia 76ers - pfrduke
33. Cleveland Cavaliers - BlueDevilBrowns
34. Dallas Mavericks - kAzE
35. Utah Jazz - tommy
36. Milwaukee Bucks - Turk
37. Toronto Raptors - NovaScotian
38. Detroit Pistons - NCDBlueDevilsTC78
39. Philadelphia 76ers -pfrduke
40. Minnesota Timberwolves - FerryFor50
41. Denver Nuggets - The Alaskan Bear
42. Houston Rockets - nsdukefan
43. Atlanta Hawks - JasonEvans
44. Minnesota Timberwolves - FerryFor50
45. Charlotte Hornets - mattman91
46. Washington Wizards - nocilla
47. Philadelphia 76ers - pfrduke
48. Milwaukee Bucks - Turk
49. Chicago Bulls - CDu
50. Phoenix Suns - LI Duke
51. Dallas Mavericks - kAzE
52. Philadelphia 76ers - pfrduke
53. Minnesota Timberwolves - FerryFor50
54. Philadelphia 76ers - pfrduke
55. Miami Heat - Duke3517
56. Denver Nuggets - The Alaskan Bear
57. Indiana Pacers - awhom111
58. San Antonio Spurs - Brevity
59. Toronto Raptors - NovaScotian
60. San Antonio Spurs - Brevity

[awhom111]

Because I am me, I have to point out that it is Jusuf Nurkic and Zach LaVine.

[CDu]

With the 16th pick in the draft, the Bulls select Nik Stauskas, SG, Michigan. It is no secret what the Bulls lack. It is offense. Stauskas is one of the best shooters in the draft. But we are gambling that he is more than just the next Kyle Korver. He dramatically improved his game over the past year, adding the ability to score off the dribble. That devotion to improve along with surprisingly solid athletic measurements at the combine give us hope that he can do more than just catch and shoot.

The concerns with Stauskas are defense. But defense is one thing the Bulls know best, so Thibs will just have to figure a way to make it work.

Basically, we are thrilled that Stauskas fell here as we were actually trying to trade up to get him. Now we get a bonus pick at #19.

[Henderson]

The Celts are very happy to see Tyler Ennis still available.* In choosing Aaron Gordon #6, I said this about the Celtics' draft strategy:

There are three things the Celtics have going that impact their draft choices this year: (1) The possibility of attracting Kevin Love; (2) The decision whether to trade Rajon Rondo or try to re-sign him; and (3) The fact that the Celtics are building a young team with a young coach whose emphasis is on a motion offense.

With those moving pieces, the most important thing is to maintain flexibility. The Celtics have banked a ton of top draft choices over the next few years, and that helps. But anyone chosen in this draft either has to fit into the current building program or has to be good trade bait in a position that they already have covered. Preferably both.

Ennis fits those criteria perfectly, because now the Celts have a true quality backup at PG. They suffered mightily when Rondo went down with a torn ACL, which also made it impossible for Rondo to play on back-to-back nights when recovering. Rondo will be healthy this year, but an unrestricted free agent at the end of this coming season. He says he wants to stay in Boston, but he also says he wants to test the free agency market. Translation: He wants the Celts to win an auction for his services. But he's making $12.9 million already. So Ennis will be his backup, but also a potential replacement. That increases Boston's flexibility in dealing for Love (and don't we all want flexibility when dealing for love?). But it also increases flexibility in dealing with Rondo. And on top of that, the Celtics get a terrific pure point guard who can distribute to the bigs: Sullinger, Olynyk, Gordon, and Green, not to mention Love if the Celts can make a deal there. And he's a reasonably good shooter with long arms (6-7 wingspan) with which to play defense. Ennis is a smart, fierce competitor whose worst case scenario is long-time back-up PG. Upside potential = star PG. Brad Stevens is going to love coaching him.

Aaron Gordon and Tyler Ennis. Not a bad draft for the Celtics. And Lord knows they needed one.

*The steal of the draft was Stauskas to the Bulls. I thought the Bulls might take Ennis, because their need for a backup PG is similar to the Celtics'. But I agree with CDu that you can't pass on Stauskas at #16. And the Celtics needed a backup PG worse than they needed another SG. So, as much as the Celts would have been very happy with Stauskas, the Celtics weren't unhappy that the Bulls took him instead of Ennis.

[Li_Duke]

We gave James Young a long look here as he could become a 3-and-D wing down the road, or perhaps even more as he is only 19. However, right now his 3-ball is streaky, his D is non-existent, his dribble and passing skills are mediocre, and despite his size, he rebounds like a shooting guard. We already have a good 3-and-D wing in Gerald Green.

We had Payton ranked as the 3rd best PG on the board with many of the supposed positives of Marcus Smart (big, athletic, selfless, excellent defender, can get to the basket, and is a leader) but none of the worrying temper issues. He's also young (20), has lots of potential, and reminds us a bit of another Payton who played in Seattle. We're not yet sure how we're going to distribute minutes between 5 young promising guards in Dragic, Bledsoe, Gary Harris, Elfrid Payton, and Archie Goodwin -- we may need to send young Archie to the D-league, but lots of young talent is a good problem to have.

[CDu]

With the #19 pick in the 2014 DBR Fantasy NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls select James Young, SF, Kentucky. We are doubling down on the wing position in this draft, hoping that one of them sticks. Young is, well, young, as just one of 3 prospects in the draft who is still 18. Despite this, he is somewhat well-seasoned at the college level, playing on a Kentucky team that made the final game of the tournament. He has ideal size and athleticism for the SG/SF position. He's a good shooter whose results belie his capabilities due to the fact that Kentucky lacked shooting options last year.

Young is a work in progress, but his upside is tremendous. We feel he could become the next Paul George. But even if he falls short of that, we have no doubt that he'll make for a nice, versatile, SG/SF rotation with Jimmy Butler, Stauskas, and Tony Snell.

[BlueDevilBrowns]

Unfortunately, I, the Cleveland GM, am on vacation this week and this morning my laptop decided to die, probably because it came in contact with my 4 year old.

So, I'm having to use my phone which is slower than dirt.

I'll give a complete breakdown of the Wiggins pick when I get access to a keyboard.

But at least everyone else can proceed now.

Deepest apologies for the delay.

Finally got my laptop back up and running after getting home today(my brother-in-law's pretty good at fixing computers, fortunately).

So, without further delay, here's my analysis for "why" we went "riggin' for Wiggins" instead of "flaccid for Embiid" in 2014:

As we all know, my predecessor, Chris Grant, tried too hard to be the smartest guy in the room when it came to drafting and surprise everyone for the sake of surprising over actually making the best pick. His philosophy seemed to be "acquire the most talent possible and screw worrying about team chemistry" as KI, Waiters, Thompson, and, to a lesser extent, Zeller, are all talented players(for those that think Barnes would have been the better pick over Waiters, Dion actually had a better shooting % and higher PPG this year than Harry, who really regressed his 2nd year) but just don't seem to fit well together.

Having said that, we all know that Embiid has the most raw talent in this years' draft(big men that can block shots, rebound, and shoot smooth jumpers don't come along very often). But, he also has the most risk as his back is a huge question mark(despite what some "reports" have claimed). History has repeatedly shown that when a big man has injury questions(Sam Bowie, Greg Oden), you better take the potentially elite wing player right behind him(MJ, KD).

Being a new GM and knowing I'm on a, shall we say, short leash(considering my owner made a major push for Coach Cal - try an offer of $80 million and Team President title!), I'm going with the safest pick possible without also taking a major drop in upside(sorry Jabari, love ya, but I'm afraid you're a "tweener").

So, the pick had to be Wiggins. Andrew Wiggins isn't only insanely athletic, he's also a natural 2 or 3, but not in the dreaded tweener sense(as mentioned above). He's tall enough, at 6'8", to play the 3 and athletic enough to drop down to the SG spot if necessary. I envision his ceiling as Scottie Pippen - a do-everything swiss army knife of a wing that may play most effectively as the #2 option when paired with a certain Mega-Star from near-by Akron.

Pipedream? Maybe, but when I mentioned this to my well-intentioned but delusional owner, he gave me the immediate green-light to make the pick, so I'll believe my own BS for now, too.

[NovaScotian]

as "we the north" enter into a new era, we are led by a new general manager. one who is not as obsessed with international players as his predecessor (colangelo the younger). one who is not afraid to use some NSFW language to ruffle some feathers. one who is focused on winning now, with his current players who've made considerable strides, and left some ripples in the (albeit shallow) eastern conference. with a weak boston, a pathetic new york, and an aging nets team, the atlantic division is theirs for the taking. where are toronto's needs? without an obvious superstar/franchise player left at this stage, the raptors are looking for someone to step in now, and contribute right away. that man is mr. payne, a four year player from michigan state. he has a big body, rebounds well, can shoot the lights out and will nicely complement jonas valanchooonas inside. meanwhile, his presence would supplant a certain power forward from north carolina, whose psycho antics and lack offense will not be missed.

[flyingdutchdevil]

As there is no more low hanging fruit, OKC needs to think strategically about what they need rather than get the best player on the board.

And what they need is a real, steady PG who can a) distribute, b) create, and c) defend. Ennis should to be a smart, heady player at his sole year at Syracuse. He doesn't have the highest potential, but he is reliable.

The "Westbrook at PG" experiment is now over. We need to shift him to the 2, start Ennis at the 1, and have the talented Reggie Jackson come on as the sixth man. Derek Fisher retired, and now we need a player who can not only fill his shoes, but also move this team to the Finals.